Bolton sets sights on long-awaited Pilgrims debut after banishing months of injury woe
HE LEFT Fratton Park seeking a fresh start after being frustratingly restricted to Pompey fringe duty.
Yet James Bolton has still to make an appearance for Plymouth – and remains without a first-team outing for more than eight months.
The versatile defender has endured a nightmare beginning to life at Home Park after joining from the Blues in June for an undisclosed fee.
A serious ankle injury sustained in pre-season has dictated he has never featured in so much as a friendly for the Pilgrims since his arrival.
However, the 27-yearold was an unused substitute in their 2-0 Boxing Day win at Cheltenham.
That represented the second time he has been named in a League One squad this season, following a December comeback.
And that would’ve put Bolton in the frame to potentially be included in the matchday 18 for the scheduled visit of Pompey tonight had the match not been postponed.
The right-back arrived at Fratton Park in the summer of 2019 as Nathan Thompson’s replacement and went on to make 53 appearances, scoring three times.
However, he struggled to establish himself last term following Kenny Jackett’s recruitment of Callum Johnson from Accrington.
Instead, Bolton largely featured as a makeshift central defender, with nine of his 15 starts that campaign coming in the role.
His final Pompey appearance was in the
3-3 draw at Accrington in April, when he partnered Sean Raggett and Rasmus Nicolaisen in a back three.
That was more than eight months ago – and it remains his most recent outing for any club.
Bolton signed a two-year deal with Plymouth in the summer after telling Danny Cowley he wanted a new challenge, having grown disillusioned with life as a back-up performer.
Then Pilgrims boss
Ryan Lowe had attempted to recruit the former Shrewsbury man in last year’s January transfer window, yet finally got his man six months later.
However, an ankle injury ahead of the pre-season schedule would confine Bolton to the sidelines until this month.
He has been an unused substitute on three occasions since then, including the FA Cup victory over Rochdale.